1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to aqueous or aqueous-alcoholic compositions containing water-soluble ionic polymers and water-soluble salts of di- or tri-carboxylic acids useful for washing or rinsing hair.
2. Description of Related Art
It is known that water-soluble ionic polymers can be added to hair-washing preparations not only to augment cleaning but also to improve cosmetic properties, particularly the combability or dressability and set of the hair. Cationic, anionic and amphoteric or zwitter-ionic polymers have been proposed as suitable ionic polymers for this purpose. Mixtures of cationic polymers and anionic polymers, mixtures of cationic and amphoteric polymers and mixtures of anionic and amphoteric polymers also have been proposed.
In a similar fashion, water-soluble ionic polymers also can be added to hair rinsing preparations, used after washing the hair with standard conditioner-free shampoos, to improve the cosmetic properties of the hair.
One problem common to all these products, however, is that a large proportion of the ionic polymers, as well as other trichocosmetic ingredients, are washed from the hair when the hair is rinsed with clear water. Thus, the potential cosmetic effect obtained from using such compositions is never realized to a full extent. Accordingly, numerous and repeated attempts have been made by the prior art to improve the deposition and retention on the hair of the above-mentioned ionic polymers and other water-insoluble trichocosmetic ingredients solubilized or dispersed in the compositions, by incorporating appropriate additives in the hair washing and rinsing preparations. Unfortunately, none of the solutions so far proposed has satisfied high consumer expectations in regard to the conditioning and structure-improving properties of shampoos and rinses.